HOBOKEN – Fourth Ward City Councilman Tim Occhipinti entered the race to become the next mayor of Hoboken on Tuesday, filing around 1,000 petition signatures with the city clerk’s office and positioning himself at the top of a slate that also includes City Council-at-Large candidates Frank Raia, Peter Biancamano, and Britney Montgomery-Cook. Raia is a longtime politico and real estate developer who once served on the school board, and Biancamano currently serves on the school board.

Under the moniker, “One Hoboken,” the slate will challenge the leadership of incumbent Mayor Dawn Zimmer and her slate of at-Large candidates, as well as state Assemblyman Ruben Ramos, a former councilman who is also running for mayor with the Vision for Hoboken slate.

Zimmer and Ramos have both put forth their own council-at-large slates. Zimmer’s includes incumbents David Mello and Ravi Bhalla, as well as Jim Doyle, and Ramos’ includes Joe Mindak, Laura Miani and Eduardo Gonzalez.

Several independents said they planned to file for council by the end of the day on Tuesday. Among them was Domenick Amato, a Rutgers-educated engineer and lifelong Hoboken resident.

The race for mayor and three council-at-large seats will be held this November.

Look for a full report on the newest candidates in the race in this weekend’s edition of The Hoboken Reporter. – Dean DeChiaro